Paper Release Webinar “Weeds and Wildfires — Integrated Management of Fire-Adapted Invasive Plants That Change Wildfire Regimes”

About This Webinar

Invasive plants are rarely part of the wildfire conversation — but they should be. Some of the most damaging wildfires in recent decades have been fueled, in part, by fire-adapted invasive plants that alter the amount, type, and distribution of fuels across the landscape.

This webinar marks the release of CAST’s new publication, Integrated Management of Fire-Adapted Invasive Plants That Change Wildfire Regimes, which examines the two-way relationship between invasive plants and fire regimes, the policy landscape governing invasive species management, and science-based tools for integrated management and landscape restoration.

Capital losses from California wildfires alone exceeded $150 billion in 2018. Federal firefighting costs run roughly $3 billion per year. An estimated 50 million homes sit in the wildland-urban interface. This publication makes the case that invasive plant management is a missing — and critical — piece of wildfire policy and practice.

What You’ll Learn

• How fire-adapted invasive plants like cheatgrass and buffelgrass alter fire frequency and intensity, creating feedback loops that favor further invasion
• Why some invasive plants reduce fire frequency — and why that matters just as much
• Key policy frameworks and their shortcomings when it comes to invasive species in fire-prone landscapes
• Integrated pest management approaches for invasive plants in wildfire contexts
• Restoration strategies following invasion and wildfire, including regional case studies from California, the Southeast, and the Sagebrush Steppe

Moderators

• Greg Dahl, Representative, CAST Plant & Soil Sciences Workgroup, Western Society of Weed Science-
• Matthew Baur, Director, Western Integrated Pest Management Center

Presenters To be announced

Who Should Attend

Land managers, rangeland ecologists, fire management professionals, invasive species specialists, agricultural scientists, policy makers, and anyone working at the intersection of invasive species and wildfire.

Register Now

This webinar is free and open to the public. A recording will be made available to registered participants following the event.